suits



B. G. SUITS. LUTOILTIO SAFETY GATE 1'08 RAILWAY GBOSSIYGS.

RPLIDAIIOI FILED 113.18. 1914.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

2 SHEETS-BEBE! 3.

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-tions of UNITED STATES fPATENT OFFICE.

BEB'I. 0. sons, or mmammonrs, nmmwa, .ASSIGNOB or ONE-HALF {no Josnrn" manna, or unwronx, 1w. Y.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Applicafioa filed ma 16, 1914. i 80. 825,142.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Bm 0. Sons, a citizen of the United States, at Indianapolis, in the county of State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Safety-Gates for Railway-Crossings, of which the following is a cation.

This invention relates to a safety gate for prot intersections of streets and highways wi -railway closings; and the object of the invention consists in the provi sion of a safety gate for protecting the intersections of streets and highways with railway crossings-which is operated by the train on approaching the crossings by lowering the gate and for the gate when the engine has passed th hway allowingthegatetoraiseandremovetheobstruction by the time the train has cleared the crossing.

A further object of the invention consists in the provision of a safety gate for protecting street and highway intersections with railways in which the gate is lowered at a predetermined rate of speed, 1t being immaterial at what rate of speed the train is trav when the 'pping device 18 ac: tuated, thereby eliminating any danger-to the working parts of the apparatus.

object of the invention consists in the provision of a safety gate at interswstreets and highways with railway crossings, which is simple 11]. construction, cheap to and install, and eflicient in operation.

I accomplish the above objects of the invention by meansof the a paratus illustrated in the wings, form ing a part hereof, in whi igurelisatoporplanviewofasecfion of a railway track where it intersects or erases a street or highway, showing my gfety gate and actuating in operative position. Fig. 2 detail view of lowering and raising of the safety gate, the same being scale. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of one of the boxes for inclosing the sheaves around which the "F -"1E8 top or cables pass. pfiii view of one of the trip Fig. '5 1s aside elevation of one of thetrip dev ces, on'theline 55 in Manon and wardly and engages the devicewhich controls theshownon a considerably enmovement by the tional view of the tower for sup the gate, show-"mg the relative position 0 the gate-operating mechanism located therein, on the hne66mFig. 7. Fig.7isa cross section on the line 77in Fig. 6. 8 is an enlar ed detail horizontal secti view of the and ratchet mechanism located on the gate-o rating shaft, .on the lme 8-8 in Fig. 6. ig. 9 1s a longitudinal sectional view through the cable-winding drums and sleeve. Fig. 10 is a side elevatron of the device attached to the train for o the safety gateto the drawings, the apparatus comprises the usual and well lmown tower 10, located at-one side of the street or highway, the said tower forming a hollow casfor mountingthe gate and inclosing the mechanism for operating the gate. Mounted transversely in the upperend of the tower l0 the shaft 11, the ends'of said shaft prqzlaugg outside of the tower to which the gate 12 is'attached. The shaft 11 is provided with a spmcket-wheel 14 which is loosely mounted thereon, and said sprocket wheel is operated by means of a sprocket-chain 15 which extends downa sprocketwheel 16 secared to a drum 17 whichjsloosely mounterdh on a trainsfverse drum to shaft edrum- T ormsareposl' 'tory ra ring 22 the outer end of which is attached t i the drum while the inner end of the spring .22

is attached to a sleeve 23 which is loosely mounted on the drum shaft 20. The outer end of the sleeve 23,terminates in an enlargement forming a winding drum 25 around which an operating cable 526 is iswound, and the drmn 25 is provided with 2- "fl'angefl'ltnpreventacci displacement ofthe cable 26 as. thelatter plays of and on. Referring to Fig. 1, 1t will be noted that the-cable 26 extends quite a distance par allel with the track A where it engage$-a suitable actuating. lever comprising a' -bent rock-shaft 30 which is mounted insuitable bearings 31 andheldagainst longitudinal collars 32. The end of the rock-shaft 30 farther-most from the trackA is bent downwardly (see F' 5), the lower end of which is provided wi an adjustable we I; 33 whereby-the sheave 36,- mounted on e end of the rock-shaft 30 adjacent to the trackA, isreturned to a the rock-shait 3Q,is.actuated and a pull ap- 'lied to the cable 2'6, causing a certain ength of said cable to be unwound from the drum and at the same time causes a portion of 'tlieinner end of the spring 22 to be wound aboiit'the' sleev 23. winding rip of the sleev 22' its-strength and ower of action which throughout its-lengtli and applied to the drum 17, causing-the latter to move in the direction indicated by the arrow in 6. This diof movementof 17 imparts a like movement of rotation to the sprocketwheel 14 and through the latters connection with the shaft 11, through certain ratchet and 'p'awl devices which will be hereinafter described, the gate12 is lowered to guard the street orhighwa'y. In order to ho d the gate down for a givenand to raise the glide at desired I interpose within the cable 26 a'controlling device shown in Fig; 2. This device contemplates the ns'e' of amovable 'tri 50 which is movedback and forth wit a suitable slot 51in the 52. When the train is runat a high rate-oispeed a severe blow is parted to the when the aml through the rock the cable 26 is initially ingofthe the'iireeflon-oitho arrow in Fig. ismoved from one- 2, so tha't' the tagger and (ii-"the slot 5112 theen shown in held- .jritb contactwith the 2,;at whichpoint etrigger is held 1 of atransverse movable the'shouldei- 56. The pawl ed "bf the movable by nice a: un

of 55. Thissud 11 moveer the cab1e'26,-while being I? iclibunt offli'e' length of the rible spring the shock beion the 'c ab1e' 26 i'sof at each nun-erasable so corresponding" amount of rotationis ed till-he l.- a nu Pur- .tion oi the length-of 22 to be s'leeve23, sojthat' the I of thespf increased-a de- %in oonsequen "'cc,'itex-.

1.. mount an V arts j'idgetnnnined' amonntot power to the ii na u'sing said to rotate, and

through the sprocket-chain. 15,; rocket 1411351 S 11th: gate owe'red of times.

the

imparted 'io-flie dlj'um 255-1611 not be transferred fo'the aconstant' gate down, and not until the pawl 55 is unlatched from thetrigger 50 is the tension released .froni 's'aiddrum 25, permitting the te 12 to raise 'into vertical position. trigger 56 move rapidly toward the s the left 111 Fig. 2 when released bythe awl 55, I provide a cushion for decreasing t force of the blow against the casing 52. This cushion consists of a sleeve 60 loosely mounted on the guide-rod 61 which connects one end of the cable 26 with the movable tri,, g'er 50; and a ring 63 which absorbs the shock when a low is delivered upon the sleeve 66 by the released trigger 50; The other end of the cable 26 is secured to the "'de-r'od 62 attached to the opposite end of e 50 from the guide-rod 61.

Whenthe en'gine has pased the highway '13 a certain distance the rock-shaft 40 is achinted, and by means of the trip-cable 41 which connects the rock-shaft 40 and pawl 55,- the latter is moved to nnlatch the 50 and allowing said trigger to move to the opp'ofitje end of the slot .51 and slack the cable The sleeve 23, drum 17, sprocketwheel 1 and shaft 11, working in unison, and the resiganceof the cable 26 being mmoved when the trigger 50 is unlatched, will cause the gate 12 to be elevated. under the influence o the counter-w ts 43.

The description so far "tes to a train moving from right-to left in Fig. 1. In order to increase the 'efliciency' of a safety be for the purpose herein set forth. it is esirable that the same shall be operated when the "train is moving in the opposite direction, from left-to right in Fig. 1. This is.accan fished by means of 1 rock-shaft 70,

to the rock-sl1aft 30. which is mounted along thotrack some distancefi'om the cros'singiB', and-this rock-shaft is connected tmthegnide-rod 62 bv means of a. cable which-parses around suitable sheaves lo-\ cated in the sheave-boxes 68 and 69. The cbnsla'uction of the sheaveboxes and sheaves isbost shown in Fig. 3. When the rocltshaft 70' is actuated by the train the movabletriger 50-issetinthesamemanner as hasiheretofore been described in connection with the rock-shaft 30. After the engine has B it es the rock-shaft 40, which is connectedtothetrifi'gerwbymeansofthe trip-cable 8.1-, ;;w eh passes through the sheave-boxes 82 and 83 to the pawl 55, whereby the latter is retracted to release the movable trigger 50 inthe same manner as has heretofore been described in connection with therock-shait 40.

As hasheretofore been pointed out the safety lowered by the wer a. pliedffiffugh the spring 22, and that the is raised by means of the weights 43. In order that theegate may be easily 0 the tensiqn of. 22'is to correspond to the resistance ofiered by the balance-weights 43 and gate body so that only a slight additional increase in the power of the s ringinduced throu h its winding on the eeve 23 by a ull on e cable 26-is n to cause -egatetobelowered. To enable the tension of the ring 22 to be increased, for the urposes eretofore set forth, without disturing the relation of the gate 12 and the shaft 11, the 14 and ratchet-wheel 90, whic are secured er, are both loosel mounted on the shaft 11. This ratchet-w eel 90 is engaged bymeansofapawl 91 sup rtedbyan arm 92 on the collar 93 which is rigidly attached to and moves with the shaft 11. When it is dsired to increase the tension of the 22 the ratchet-wheel 90 and sprocket-wk 14 are moved in the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. 4.- which imparts a like on of movement to thedrum 17,

hereby the outer end of the spring 22 is moved to coil the spring 22 about the sleeve 23, the sleeve at this time being held against rotation by the cable 26.

As has heretofore been stated, the rockshafts are actuated by the trains, and to prevent injury to the parts of the mechamsm the device of'the train consists of a loop or block100the edgesofwhicharecutonan incline that engage the sheaves 36. The most desirable construction of the device on the train for actuating the rock-shafts is illustrated in F 10.

Having us fully described 111 V said invenfion, what I desire to secure y letters Patent, isv 1. In a railway erasing system, a track having a crosmg, a vertically swinging gate arranged near the crossing, a flexible element conne ed with the gate to move the same, Tip-operated means near the track I: a suitable distance from the crossing and /connccted with-the flexible element to move it in one direction, a reciprocatory latchmemberh Ifillexible 1element to move erewr ,a easa e w --;:;4 the reciprocatory latch-memb r to no hold it against movement, a second flexible element connected with the pawl, and tripoperatedmeansarrangedncarthetrackata suitable distance from the crosing and con nected with the second flexible element to move the same in one on.

2. In a railway system, a track vingacrossmg,avert1cally gate w near thecrosing, a longitudinally flexible element connected with the gate to move the same, trip swmgmg operated means arranged near the track at a obtained m rocket-wheel 'acoilsp suitable distance from the croming and connected with the flexible element to move the same, a reciprocatory latch-member connect ed in the flexible element and provided with a lateral stop-shoulder, a reciprocatory pawl operated at a ri 'ht angle to the latch-member and adapted to releasably engage the stop-shoulder, a second flexible element connected with the pawl, and a trip-operated means arranged near the track at a suitable distance from the crossing and connected with ifilhe second flexfilgf eclhement. d

3. apparatus 0 e aracter escribed, a. support, a counterbalanced gate pivoted to the support. to automatically in one direction, pawl and ratchet mechanism to swing the gate in one direction, spring apparatus, connections between the springaapparatus and the pawl and ratchet mec msm, and trip operated means toactua'te the spring apparatus.

4. In apparatus of the character desuribg a support, a horizontal shaft journal throug the same, a counter-weighted swinging gate rigidly secured to the horizontal shaft,acrankr1gidlysecuredtotheshaft,a pawl pivoted to the crank, a ratchet wheel loose upon the shaft and engaged by the pawl, asleeve rotatable in the lower portion of the support, a drum loose upon the sleeve, chad thwitslliin the (11mm with its ends atta to e eevean drum,tripoperatedmeanstotnrnthedruminone dirtietion, and positive connecting e sleeve and ratchet w eel.

5. In an automatic safety gate for railway crosings, a movable safety gate, a gate supporting shaft, power transmitting means loosely mounted on said shaft, 1!. second shaft, revoluble means loosely mounted on said second shaft means for connec the revoluble means on said second shaft an power transmission means on the gate shaft, a cable-drum loosely mount e d on sai second shaft, means yieldingly connecting the cabledrum and revoluble means, means for rotating said drum in a direction to lower the rmally gate, a ratchet device carried by the gate su rtin shaft for increasmg' the tension of th yi dable means for counterb v the gate operating mechanism.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 3rd day of March, A. D., one thousand nine hundred and fourteen.

BERT C. SUITS. [1. s.]

five cents each, by addressing the of Patents,

wum mnc." 

